This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/Appropriate_Many_367 on 2026-07-05 11:47:07+00:00.
Been tinkering with HA for a while and kept running into the same problem: most beginner guides either skip important steps or assume Linux knowledge. So I put together a full series covering everything from zero.
Here's what's in each part:
- What is Home Assistant and why run it locally? – cloud vs local explained, what you can control: https://youtu.be/zSZIDPAJM7o
- Installing HA on an old PC – full HAOS install on any x86 machine, free, takes about 20 minutes: https://youtu.be/ON_o-7OnsvY
- First setup: network, users and your first dashboard – getting from a blank install to something actually usable: https://youtu.be/muOjMoSu8gM
- Top 10 free integrations every beginner should add – weather, Google Calendar, mobile app, energy monitoring and more: https://youtu.be/MwfbYNkBtrA
- Your first 5 automations – time-based, presence detection, sunrise/sunset, all done with the visual editor (no YAML required): https://youtu.be/wvGBYJbT0SE
- Connecting smart plugs and lights without cloud – Tasmota, ESPHome, Zigbee2MQTT and why keeping it local matters: https://youtu.be/QQii9H5IsK8
- Building a good-looking dashboard from scratch – Mushroom cards, custom layouts, dark mode: https://youtu.be/qUOar06yXLI
Everything is free on YouTube. Happy to answer questions if anything is unclear — this is the kind of series I wish had existed when I started.